


Way too much

by SrebrnaFH



Series: Srebrna's Sherlock Oneshots [13]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Overstimulation, Overwhelmed Sherlock, Party, Too many signals, club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 12:59:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16723884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SrebrnaFH/pseuds/SrebrnaFH
Summary: Sherlock joins the NSY for Lestrade's birthday party and suffers quietly in the club.





	Way too much

**Author's Note:**

> I was on a birthday party yesterday and the outcome was.... similar.

The club was loud, smelly and full of people. The lights were deceptively low, yet set at such angles that his eyes were assaulted by flashing colours at unexpected moments. He managed to obtain a spot in the corner, away from most of the crowd, with his back to the wall, under the only white lamp in the whole room.

He felt cold and hot in waves, cheeks flushing with warmth and fingers shivering. He squeezed his hands together to hide the shaking, but felt as if the next wave of trembling threatened to just overtake his whole body.

Lestrade’s birthday bash was in full swing and all Sherlock wanted to do was to pull his coat over his head and disappear. With every thump, whine or bass his heart added a beat, pushing the blood forcefully into his veins, making him feel as if he was suffering a particularly nasty type or arrhythmia.

His head was literally pounding - with every  forceful rush of blood he felt pressure over his nose, in his sinuses, in his temples - even in his jaw. Sometimes it was as if his very teeth were pulsing to the rhythm of his overworking heart.

John slid into the spot next to him with a wide smile and plunked a pint of beer in front of him. His hair was almost white under the mixed lights and Sherlock focused on that simple fact, trying to exclude all others.

His friend said something and Sherlock smiled, trying to cover all his discomfort with a strained grin. He didn’t hear a thing over the hubbub caused by the so-called music and what seemed to be half of the London finest.

It was only proper, wasn’t it? To join a friend’s birthday party, sit and socialise. It shouldn’t be hard for a grownup with a fully developed nervous system and full control of his faculties.

John was now sitting closer, his body a warm bulwark between Sherlock and the surrounding world.

He swayed. He didn’t want to, he wanted to stop immediately right there, but he swayed. The shivers he tried to push deep under and inside threatened to overwhelm him, so he lost the iron control over his body and swayed into John’s personal space.

John actually turned a bit, making it a bit easier for him, surprisingly.

Sherlock’s hands shook as he slowly, cautiously laid his forehead on John’s jacket-clad shoulder, closed his eyes and inhaled surreptitiously. Wool. John’s cologne, soap, deodorant. Far, far away from the stinking, sweaty,  _pulsing_  crowd. His eyes squeezed shut, partially covered with John’s shoulder, he cut himself off from the visual input.

Good. Better. Not perfect, but better. Less information streams, better input management.

John moved and for a moment he wailed internally at the loss of his stable support, but soon his friend was leaning on the wall behind them and pulling Sherlock closer, one ear to John’s chest and the other covered with John’s hand.

Bliss.

Not complete isolation from the ugly club music, but enough to cope. Enough to focus and use the remaining senses.

“We will leave in ten minutes,” he heard John’s voice above the shouts of the dancers. “The cab will be here soon.”

He nodded, unwilling to say anything, not wishing to break down in tears and uncertain his brain wouldn’t do just that.

He raised his head slightly and leaned his forehead on John's cheek, grounding himself, focusing. Breathe like he does, Sherlock. Breathe. In, hold. Out, hold. Breathe.

He hoped the cab would be there soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [my tumblr](https://srebrnafh.tumblr.com/).  
> [My writing blog.](https://fanfik.wordpress.com/)  
> [My handmade blog.](https://srebrna.wordpress.com/)
> 
> Edit (April 2019):  
> I am taking a writing course and one of the tasks is to ask my readers to describe my writing style in 3 adjectives. I'd be grateful if you could provide this kind of feedback :)  
> (if you provided it already somewhere else - THANK YOU! :))


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